


Break

by orphan_account



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Episode: s12e06 Hero or Hate Crime?, F/M, Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-03-02 11:13:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13316901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: 5 of Dee and Charlie's smoking breaks





	Break

1.

Charlie catches Dee smoking for the first time on a particularly slow night at Paddy's. It's nearly midnight, but there's still a handful of people left inside, so they can't close quite yet. Dennis is drinking behind the bar, Mac is off doing whatever it is he does on Friday nights, and Frank is back at the apartment, probably already fast asleep. Charlie sees Dee slip out the back door, and ignores it at first - he shouldn't care, really, he shouldn't - but he sneaks out to investigate anyway. Dennis doesn't seem to notice, or at least doesn't care, and continues to drink his beer. 

He doesn't see her, not at first - he sees the stream of smoke first, and follows it around the corner to find Dee, leaning against the alley wall, a cigarette held between her fingers. She jumps when he rounds the corner. 

"Dee!" Charlie says. "Why are you smoking?!"

Dee looks down at the cigarette guiltily. "Health reasons."

Charlie frowns, then shrugs. "Sounds reasonable. Can I have one?"

Dee looks back up at him incredulously, but digs the packet out of her pocket and hands one over anyway. He props it between his lips, and she leans over to light it for him. He inhales, and then immediately coughs; Dee looks at him like she's just won the goddamn lottery. She takes another long inhale from her cigarette and sighs. 

They don't say anything about it in front of the gang. 

 

2. 

Charlie is practically invited the next time. 

Dee makes her move to leave out the back door, anxiously clutching her lighter. She makes eye contact with Charlie as she pushes the door open, and Charlie thinks he can almost see her jerk her head in a _come on_  motion. Regardless of what she really means, he follows her. 

He doesn't even realize it's night until he gets out there. The alley is nearly pitch black, with only a few stray streams of light from nearby streetlamps; the bulb in the light out here burned out years ago, and they never bothered to replace it. Dee is lighting her cigarette when Charlie shuts the door behind him. She leans back onto the alley's opposite wall and motions him forward with a fresh cigarette for him. He crosses the alley in two swift steps and grabs it, and she lights it with the still-lit lighter. They smoke together in comfortable silence. 

 

3.

Charlie wanders back to the bar in the late afternoon, after Mac has already gone home and Dennis is off being mad about the crime show they made about him. Dee is behind the bar, wiping it down. The place is empty apart from her. 

"Are you closing?" Charlie asks.

"Yeah, no one's gonna show up today, it's a Tuesday."

Charlie nods in agreement. "Wanna smoke?"

Dee furrows her eyebrows together, but doesn't object. She tosses the rag onto the counter, and digs the packet out of her coat pocket as she follows Charlie into the back alley. He's sat down on the single step, his arms crossed over his knees. She sits down beside him and passes him a cigarette, then grabs one for herself. She pats her coat pocket, then her other coat pocket, and then her pants pocket. She makes a sound akin to a growl in frustration. 

"I forgot my goddamn lighter!" She screeches. 

"Hold on, calm down, Dee!" Charlie says, fumbling around in his own pocket. He fishes around in there for a second before producing his own lighter. It's almost identical to Dee's, but blue instead of black. "I brought one."

Dee stares at it for a second, almost in disbelief, before she snatches it out of his hand and lights their cigarettes. 

 

4.

"Why do you do this, Charlie?" Dee asks. 

Charlie frowns. "Do what?"

"Smoke with me!" She says. She groans a bit in frustration, and takes another drag of her cigarette. "I mean," She coughs, "you don't even have a  _reason_ to smoke. And you never smoke without me."

Charlie shrugs, and suddenly feels very uncomfortable. He fidgets in his seat and takes another breath of his cigarette to calm him down. "I don't know," He shrugs again. "I just...you're good company."

Dee opens her mouth as if to say something, but snaps it closed instead. 

 

5.

They both wander back to Paddy's after the arbitration. It's dark out, and a little chilly; they bump shoulders as they walk back to the bar. Dee flicks the lights on while Charlie hops up to sit on the counter. Dee joins him a second later. 

They sit in a silence for a minute or so - their personal silence record - until Charlie clears his throat and speaks. "So...can we still smoke together? Even though the gang knows?"

Dee passes him a cigarette silently. When Charlie looks at her with a blank expression, she sighs, and nods instead. He smiles as he sets the cigarette between his lips, so much that he almost has trouble keeping it there. Dee lights both of their cigarettes with her lighter. They don't say anything; they just smoke. They don't say anything when Charlie scoots closer, they don't say anything when Dee leans her head onto Charlie's shoulder, and they don't say anything when Charlie slowly laces their fingers together. 


End file.
